General Discussion

Ikonoklast

(23,973 posts)

23. It just shows that you are only human, and not some kind of saint.

Reply to Evergreen Emerald (Original post)

Wed Dec 21, 2011, 10:32 AM

Dec 2011

People like to think that they would be the 'Good Samaritan' in a situation like that, but in all reality, unless the person was in visible physical distress, most people would assume he was just passed out, dead drunk.

When a much younger man, I worked in an area of town that was considered the Skid Row; shops that sold fortified wine, run-down transient hotels, a down-and-outer on every corner, on every stoop...

If I gave some of the guys a quarter, they were thankful, that was a lot of money to a kid making $1.10 an hour, even more to a guy that could buy a pint of Wild Irish Rose for $1.99...and some of them would threaten to kill you if you didn't, but I knew they had nothing but empty threats.

Some of those guys were in such bad shape they had trouble standing up unaided, let alone doing anything else physically.

If I had stopped every time I saw a man lying face-down on the sidewalk, I couldn't have walked from where I parked my car to the front door of my job without stopping.

It was an every day occurence, and by that I mean, every single day.

At first, I was appalled at the human wreckage, but after a while, you either ignore that which you have little or no control over, or beat yourself up, every. single. day you witnessed it.

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What would you do if you saw a man laying on the sidewalk? [View all] Evergreen Emerald Dec 2011 OP

Ouch. I bet that hurts. Question is . . . what will you do next time? Lionessa Dec 2011 #1

I would hope I would call for help. Having babylonsister Dec 2011 #2

Before this happened, I would have responded the same way Evergreen Emerald Dec 2011 #4

this happened to me once in Anchorage. I saw a man laying in the grass alongside the road roguevalley Dec 2011 #37

The great thing about Christianity is that one can ask one's own self, "What would Jesus do?", then phasma ex machina Dec 2011 #3

So you would have magically healed him, turned water into wine, then gave him loaves and fishes?..nt SidDithers Dec 2011 #9

Way to totally miss the point! lunatica Dec 2011 #13

I thought it was a perfectly valid response Bragi Dec 2011 #15

Every major religion's main tenet is some version of "do unto others as you would have done unto you Viva_La_Revolution Dec 2011 #28

+ 1,000! left coaster Dec 2011 #31

That's quite untrue Yo_Mama Dec 2011 #38

Points noted for future ponderation /nt Bragi Dec 2011 #45

If you don't want people to laugh at your beliefs... SidDithers Dec 2011 #21

I suspect the person who posted this had something more like the "Good Samaritan" in mind deutsey Dec 2011 #16

And I submit Mitchell and Webb in response... SidDithers Dec 2011 #17

That's actually pretty funny deutsey Dec 2011 #20

I agree with you completely... SidDithers Dec 2011 #22

+1 You perfectly understood my intent. phasma ex machina Dec 2011 #36

That's pretty rude and insensitive, in this context. Quantess Dec 2011 #18

The context is that the poster dragged Jesus into the discussion... SidDithers Dec 2011 #19

I agree with THAT completely! Quantess Dec 2011 #25

Yeah, sometimes I can be ... abrasive... SidDithers Dec 2011 #26

The original poster did not know the man was bleeding Yo_Mama Dec 2011 #39

It's a TOOL Sid, no magic needed. You see, it's only too easy for me to sell myself on minding my phasma ex machina Dec 2011 #34

I actually found that to be one of the crappy things about it when I was a practicer. ScreamingMeemie Dec 2011 #44

Similar story... trusty elf Dec 2011 #5

I've encountered this....I check to see if they appear in imminent distress hlthe2b Dec 2011 #6

Are you male or female and how strong? treestar Dec 2011 #7

"Double check my route, because I seem to be walking in circles"... SidDithers Dec 2011 #8

When confronted with unusual situations in front of other people, the vast majority of us will do Brickbat Dec 2011 #10

Asking myself "What would Jesus do?" gives me the courage to actually DO something besides avert my phasma ex machina Dec 2011 #33

I found a man wandering dazed in my neighborhood once. EFerrari Dec 2011 #11

It depends on where he is. Abin Sur Dec 2011 #12

A homeless man was beaten, caught on video: Quantess Dec 2011 #14

It just shows that you are only human, and not some kind of saint. Ikonoklast Dec 2011 #23

Only because I'm a nurse... w8liftinglady Dec 2011 #24

Probably lie down next to him to see what he was staring at... HopeHoops Dec 2011 #27

Thank you. It takes a lot of courage to post something like this. n/t GliderGuider Dec 2011 #29

I suppose if I had gotten used pipi_k Dec 2011 #30

Something that's bothered me for ever. Yo_Mama Dec 2011 #40

Call for help. emilyg Dec 2011 #32

.. Liberal_in_LA Dec 2011 #35

One evening North of Seattle in Everett rustydog Dec 2011 #41

Thanks for this story. joshcryer Dec 2011 #42

I see this every week in downtown Seattle. aletier_v Dec 2011 #43